Authorities of the southern province of Long An have warned local farmers to be on guard against selling dragon fruit flowers to illegal Chinese traders to avoid affecting their crop output.

Diplomatic notes were sealed in Hanoi on January 15, concerning the first batch of Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA) worth more than JPY95 billion for Vietnam in fiscal 2015.

Foreign investors from 11 countries and territories have poured US$1.4 billion into 155 projects in the northern province of Ha Nam so far, heard a meeting in the locality on January 15. 

Plunging rubber prices will reduce profits of the Vietnam Rubber Group (VRG) in 2016, as heard during a conference held in Ho Chi Minh City on January 15 to review the company’s performance and set out new tasks. 

(VOV) -An online meeting was held on January 15 to set this year's tasks for Vietnam’s construction sector. 

The significant improvement in Vietnam’s business environment is expected to be the major reason which helps Vietnam obtain high economic growth rate in difficulties, and helps ‘the fish swim against the current’ as economists commented.

(VOV) - Business process outsourcing has fared well for Vietnam over the decade leading up to 2016, Vietnam’s main software industry body said at a recent launching ceremony for the 2016 Sao Khue awards.

(VOV) - Nhat Hong Food Technology Co, Ltd has unveiled that it’s red dragon fruit wine has been honoured with an ASEAN best new product award at a recent ceremony in Bangkok, Thailand.

The Vietnam Asset Management Company (VAMC) issued over VND234 trillion (US$10.4 billion) worth of special bonds as of 2015, according to VAMC General Director Nguyen Huu Thuy.

The Ministry of Finance has developed different scenarios that consider future impacts of oil price slumps for a more flexible management of the state budget in 2016, said Minister Dinh Tien Dung on January 14. 

(VOV) - Walmart supports women-owned businesses around the globe through its “Empowering Women Together” initiative, said Senior Director Jocelyn of Walmart Global Sourcing on January 15 at a seminar in Hanoi.

PFP Group, a frozen seafood producer from Thailand, plans to set up a joint venture factory in Vietnam in the next three to five years to minimise business risks, reported “The Bangkok Post” newspaper on January 15.

More than VND1.91 trillion (US$85.1 million) in tax was collected in METRO Group’s sale of METRO Cash & Carry Vietnam, Minister of Finance Dinh Tien Dung said on January 14. 

(VOV) - The online retail market, though still in its infancy, is continuing to grow and evolve, and online shopping is gaining in popularity, says the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Industry and Trade. 

Ambassador Nguyen Trung Thanh hoped for successful relations between Vietnamese enterprises in Switzerland and Russia, which are expected to open up new business opportunities.

The Saigon-Hanoi Bank (SHB) opens a wholly-owned subsidiary in Laos on January 15.

(VOV) - Hanoi will export more farm products including fresh oranges, pomeloes and longans to Malaysia and Japan in the coming time.

(VOV) - The Vietnamese embassy in Japan has introduced Vietnam, its human resources and investment and business climate to Japanese localities. 

A string of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) made ‘bumper’ debut in 2015, creating a solid foundation for 2016 which is so-called the year of economic integration.

Vietnam could be an attractive market for Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) as the Japanese airline has been pursuing a plan to expand its international operations since 2010, the UK-based Financial Times said in recent article.

Greater efforts at a national level are needed to create a new wave of investments in Vietnam, Vuong Dinh Hue, head of the Party Central Committee's Economic Commission, said.

The highest monthly salary for mid-level and senior managers in Vietnam was VND225 million (US$10,000), up by 11% in 2015 in comparison with the previous year, according to a report by Navigos Search, a Vietnamese recruitment agency.

The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) is to actively implement flexible monetary policies to help the country control inflation, maintain macro-economic stability and accelerate economic growth this year.

Vietnam's rice exports this year excluding border trade are expected to remain at last year's 6.5 million tonnes, according to the Vietnam Food Association.

Vietnam’s Open Budget Index (OBI) has not been substantially improved but is ready to be changed, Joel Friedman, a senior fellow at the International Budget Partnership (IBP), said at a workshop revealing the index on January 14. 

Building production and logistics chains is one of the solutions proposed by a provincial official in the Mekong Delta in order to create breakthroughs in agricultural development.

A workshop to promote trade and economic cooperation between Vietnam and the British Business Group Vietnam (BBGV) took place in northern Thai Nguyen province on January 14. 

India’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Confederation of India Industry held the third cooperation conference between India, and Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (CLMV) in New Delhi from January 11-13. 

Prospects for cooperation in economics and education between Vietnam and the US following the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement were highlighted at a workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on January 14.

A Chinese enterprise delegation participated in a Vietnam-China business exchange programme in Ho Chi Minh City on January 14.